New Jack City

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New Jack City

R

Released Mar 8, 1991

1h 41m

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Drug tycoon Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and his minions, known collectively as the Cash Money Brothers, have rapidly risen to the top of the New York City narcotics trade. Under Nino's heartless leadership, the drug operation has grown into a multimillion-dollar empire. Scotty (Ice-T) and Nick (Judd Nelson), two police officers who know their way around the streets of Harlem, aim to bring Nino and his cohorts down. To do so, though, they'll have to play by Nino's rules and go undercover.

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Critics Consensus

Stylishly directed by Mario Van Peebles, New Jack City offsets its melodramatic streak with electrifying action and a cavalcade of effective performances.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Though this often plays like a 70s cop show, it became a prototype for the bling-heavy gangsta melodramas of the 90s.

Oct 30, 2007

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Variety Staff

Variety

Filmmakers pull off a provocative, pulsating update on gangster pics with this action-laden epic about the rise and fall of an inner city crack dealer.

Oct 30, 2007

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

It's a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation, with Van Peebles piling on corruption and carnage for all he's worth.

Jan 26, 2006

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

Cooper’s script detests the city-conquering gangster Nino Brown (Snipes), but Mario Van Peebles’ camera is in love with him. The result is an indelible villain, memorialized by wild Dutch angles and prodigious overhead cinematography.

Feb 5, 2025

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

'New Jack City' is steeped in Blaxploitation filmmaking, and is a good deal more stylish and more fun than, say, 'Boyz N the Hood,' released the same year.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 20, 2024

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Sean Burns

WBUR’s Arts & Culture

I mean, what else can one say about a film in which even Judd Nelson is an enjoyable presence?

Aug 20, 2023

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Ian R

Sorry, I couldn't put up with the heavy gold chains and Kangol berets. Too stupid to watch.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/18/25

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Jeff T

Good acting. Fictional story but pretty intense movie. Snipes was great.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/29/25

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danny s

This was my gateway drug to Goodfellas godfather casino The Departed etc

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/14/25

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Christian K

A genre melodrama that has some good spurts of filmmaking and performances with a well foreshadowed shock ending.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/25

Full Review

thiago s

Filme legalzinho, o roteiro é bacana, o filme tem algumas cenas boas, o que melhora o filme são as cenas de tiros de gangue vs gangue, Wesley snipes é um bom protagonista, e o elenco ajuda o suficiente para o filme ser bom, com tudo isso eu recomendo esse filme.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/18/25

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Shawn R

Wesley Snipes at his finest

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/03/24

Full Review

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Mario Van Peebles

Director

Wesley Snipes

Nino Brown

Ice-T

Scotty Appleton

Judd Nelson

Nick Peretti

Mario Van Peebles

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Allen Payne

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Synopsis

Drug tycoon Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and his minions, known collectively as the Cash Money Brothers, have rapidly risen to the top of the New York City narcotics trade. Under Nino's heartless leadership, the drug operation has grown into a multimillion-dollar empire. Scotty (Ice-T) and Nick (Judd Nelson), two police officers who know their way around the streets of Harlem, aim to bring Nino and his cohorts down. To do so, though, they'll have to play by Nino's rules and go undercover.

Director: Mario Van Peebles
Producer: George Jackson, David McHenry
Screenwriter: Thomas Lee Wright, Barry Michael Cooper
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Jacmac Films, Warner Brothers
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 8, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 31, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.1M
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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